ABC: Why must Sarah Palin insert herself into this story by defending herself against charges of inspiring murder?

posted at 5:18 pm on January 12, 2011 by Allahpundit

I think it might be time to stop writing about the coverage, not because I’m bored with it or because there’s nothing left to say, but because I simply can’t achieve the Loughnerian dream state required to cope with “the facts.”

Should she have ended her video right after her expression of sympathy? After all, isn’t today about the victims, not the debate? Then again, if she didn’t address the debate swirling around her target map she might just as quickly have been accused of ducking the tough questions.

BOTTOM LINE: Sarah Palin, once again, has found a way to become part of the story. And she may well face further criticism for the timing and scope of her remarks. She is already taking heat for her use of the term “blood libel” (see today’s Tweets). In her video she notes, “President Obama and I may not agree on everything, but I know he would join me in affirming the health of our democratic process.” It remains to be seen exactly what Obama will say tonight, but White House aides say another goal of his address will be to lift the nation up in this moment, not sully it with politics.

A useful research project would be to go back through Twitter’s archives and find out not only which liberals were the first to toss Palin’s name out in connection with the shootings, but precisely how long it took them to do so after the cable nets first broke in with the news. As I recall, people like Kos were pointing to her crosshairs map within minutes; it took EMTs 38 minutes to get Giffords from the scene of the shooting to the operating table at the hospital, which means Palin may well have been “part of the story” before its most famous victim had even been placed on a stretcher. With, to repeat for the umpteen thousandth time, no evidence whatsoever to believe that Loughner had been influenced by her in any way. Four solid days of insane demagoguery about her phantom role in a mass murder, and not a word in her own defense until this morning.

Here’s Ace trying to boil all of this down to its rotten core. He doesn’t use the word, but Treacher’s right: The left’s argument here, such as it is, is that Loughner is the victim of voodoo.

But — follow the leftist logic here — Loughner is not a Tea Partier, or a conservative, or even right leaning at all. This proves that not only can our provocations influence our own crazies (which is 60% of us, to hear them talk) but in fact are so potent they can even drive those who don’t listen to us to kill.

Do you see that next argument taking shape? Taking shape? Having taken shape, I should say, past perfect. Krugman and all the rest of them, having called this as a deranged right-winger (and been proven wrong) simply make their argument more all-encompassing. They’re no longer arguing that right-wing invective can have an unbalanacing effect on right-wingers who hear it.

Their new argument is that right-wing invective can have an unbalancing effect on non-right-wingers — left-wingers, even — who don’t hear it.

That’s how insidious this all is. That’s how dangerous this all is. Right wing chatter can now drive left-wingers who don’t even hear it to kill people.

Voodoo, the same way sticking a doll with a pin can inflict pain on someone a thousand miles away. When Palin slapped the crosshairs on Giffords’s district, Loughner somehow just knew and reacted. No proof of real-world cause and effect needed. That’s one of the two big takeaways from the left’s reaction to all this — that in a pinch, if the narrative requires right-wing culpability, magical thinking is acceptable. The other big takeaway actually doesn’t have to do with Palin, even though I think many of her supporters want this story to be mainly about her and how badly she’s been smeared. She has been egregiously smeared, to be sure, but her “role” in the shootings isn’t the grand lie. The grand lie is the left/media professing to care remotely about the “tone of political discourse” while spending four days doing everything it could to make it worse. Instant politicization of a massacre, smear after smear about who’s to blame, total amnesia about their own chill attitude towards the vicious demonization of Bush and his circle for years, and every bit of it surreally accompanied by hand-wringing about improving “the dialogue.” Magical thinking — and yet, supposedly, “reality-based.” That’s where we’re at after four days of stomping on our allegedly fragile national debate.

Update: As usual, even in a post that’s as clearly and overwhelmingly a defense of Palin as this one is, some of her supporters want to accuse me of being unfair to her or her fans. The offending line, supposedly, is “many of her supporters want this story to be mainly about her.” By which, of course, I meant the story of the left’s ridiculous demagoguery over the past four days, not the story of the shootings themselves. My point (and Ace’s point) is that, while Palin has been smeared the worst, the voodoo logic being employed liberals is aimed at delegitimizing all conservatives as their agenda requires, not just her. Thought that was clear, but I guess not.

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Comments

The left’s response to the AZ shootings made me think of The Wizard of Oz. The left’s venom is catapulting Palin into the role of Dorothy with the left in the role of the Wicked Witches. The already dead witch under Dorothy’s house are all those Dems who lost in November.

They were waiting for something like this to happen, an idea fed from the first appearance of the Tea Party. It wouldn’t have mattered what the incident was, it could have been some dude smashing his car into a deserted DNC office, the libs still would have used every device at their disposal to tie it to Palin.

Bishop on January 12, 2011 at 5:31 PM

It sure has the appearance of being premeditated and sadly pretty well orchestrated.

Making the map was scurrilous and unbecoming of someone who wants a national role.
Taking it down was weak.
Hiding in her electronic bubble showed recognition of guilt and weakness.
Making a statement about the scuffle (in which, I remind you, she NEVER referred to herself) and using a metaphor used by many others over the past weak was inserting herself into the situation and anti-semitic to boot.

No matter what she does the left will always slam her. There is nothing but fear and hatred from the left towards her. They accused her of not saying enough when this happened and now it is too much. What they don’t realize is they are driving Independents to her just like Pelosi, Reid and Obama did in the last election. She has the best natural and genuine instincts we have seen since Reagan.

Her supporters DO NOT want to make this story about Gov Palin. they didn’t want this story to become political in the first place. Her supporters defended her when she remained quiet on the subject, her supporters thought her two responses where correct before the speech. the left and the media wanted to make this story about gov Palin not her supporters. Defedning the women is not wanting the story to be about her. Allah tries here to paint her supporters once again in a bad light.

” Instant politicization of a massacre, smear after smear about who’s to blame, total amnesia about their own chill attitude towards the vicious demonization of Bush and his circle for years, and every bit of it surreally accompanied by hand-wringing about improving “the dialogue.”

Maybe a review of the licenses that allow them to spew this tripe on the public airwaves is in order by the new House Majority…

Trying hard to guard against wishful thinking, but I can’t help but feel the lefties are now jumping the shark. If 53-57% of polled folks are already on to their game, that % can only increase the more they try to push this narrative.

When the heat stops you sleeping at night
And the dead leaves rustle around
And the calmness keeps you awake
And you pace around the room

That’s the zombie in you manifesting itself
And you cry out loud and nobody can help
And it’s a one way sign to the gates of hell
And there’s no way back
No, there’s no way back
Ain’t no wonder you can’t sleep at night

You just heard the voodoo call
So you pace around, do the zombie crawl
And you shuffle around in the prison cell
Doing the voodoo walk, dancing with yourself
And you just can’t blame
The zombie inside of you

Or the voodoo curse hanging over you
Or the zombie walk, like an old soft shoe
Where the voodoo man’s talking inside of you
Doing the voodoo walk, voodoo walk
Ain’t no evil spirits round here
Or zombie people or demons with pointy ears
Ain’t no spooks waiting to appear

I think you’ve hit on the new name we should give to the media. First is was MSM, then LSM, now and forevermore it should be “Blood Libel Media” or BLM for short. I going forward with that and hope you don’t mind.

I’ve scoured the internet to see if this is resonating on moderate persons. My observation is if the Progressives think this tactic is going to rejuvenate their dwindling base, it is they who need to recheck their cross hairs.

even though I think many of her supporters want this story to be mainly about her and how badly she’s been smeared.

Don’t be dopey. Pick your target (us), personalize it (Palin).

That is what the left has done. It is possible to defend Palin without being a 21st Century Palinbot ™. By smearing her, they are smearing everyone who doesn’t agree with their agenda. This is simple math.

It’s great that they have created the opportunity for Palin to give her Reaganesque speech on this subject. She enhanced her image with it and the MSM’s continued attacks will only help spread the word. I’ll say again that I am not a Palinista, but I was deeply impressed and now view her even more favorably. She just flat out skooled the fools and they are too dumb to just shutup while they are behind. Congratulations Governor, and thanks for the ‘entertainment’.

My observation is if the Progressives think this tactic is going to rejuvenate their dwindling base, it is they who need to recheck their cross hairs.

sybilll on January 12, 2011 at 6:15 PM

Well, it may rejuvenate their base, but my bet is that starting about now, for every one in their base they rejuvenate, they’ll lose at least two from the center-left. As best I can see, they’re fast losing this fight… unless somehow we let them off the hook.

what the liberal left/media is doing today is the same as what the Nazi’s did to the jews.

Is that why she used the phrase “blood libel”? Because she’s the metaphorical equivalent of a Jew in Nazi Germany? Nice. Either that or she’s too dumb to know what it really means. Stick to shooting animals Sarah. We know you abhor violence.

The WH is probably so provoked that Palin precluded the impact of the Consoler-in-Chief’s speech tonight with a superior message that Axelrod sent out his marketing talking points to his lackeys in the media.

I generally don’t duplicate comments, but I see that GrowFins has shown up. So what the h*ll.

In all of this, you know what’s pathetic?

Families of five (or six) dead people and 13 wounded have to go through the motions of smiling while pretending to be comforted and moved by the visit of an absentee, cowardly, POS president who’s allowed his administration, his political party, and his media apparatus to hijack the horror, the pain, and the reality of the loss experienced by these families so that liberals could somehow regain some momentum after getting their a**es kicked in November.

Is that why she used the phrase “blood libel”? Because she’s the metaphorical equivalent of a Jew in Nazi Germany? Nice. Either that or she’s too dumb to know what it really means. Stick to shooting animals Sarah. We know you abhor violence.

Grow Fins on January 12, 2011 at 6:26 PM

LOL

I love the fact that liberals are so desperate they’ll cling to anything at all in their attempts to sow the seeds of hate.

Really? The best you guys could come up with is feigned indignation over the term “blood libel”?

Oh, so you speak for the families now? I’m sure they’ll be glad to know that. I guess the thousands upon thousands of people there to hear the President’s words are nazis out to libel the Jewish princess-martyr.

Is that why she used the phrase “blood libel”? Because she’s the metaphorical equivalent of a Jew in Nazi Germany? Nice. Either that or she’s too dumb to know what it really means. Stick to shooting animals Sarah. We know you abhor violence.

Grow Fins on January 12, 2011 at 6:26 PM

She’s redefining the terms of the discourse. She uses words, and provokes reactions. Each time, leftards try to argue her usage, and come up short.

“The other big takeaway actually doesn’t have to do with Palin, even though I think many of her supporters want this story to be mainly about her and how badly she’s been smeared”
Allah- this is assumption and as such has no place here. You are good though.
Fins- Heaven help ya.

POS president who’s allowed his administration, his political party, and his media apparatus to hijack the horror, the pain, and the reality of the loss experienced by these families so that liberals could somehow regain some momentum after getting their a**es kicked in November.

BuckeyeSam on January 12, 2011 at 6:30 PM

hey look on the bright side at least unlike the oil rig explosion at least the families of the dead on mentioned by the POTUS before using their deaths for politcal purposes..

I think I see the left’s point. I’m about far right as you can go with out becoming a leftist.After the cap that all the people on the left has pulled, I for one after the revolution, will not lift a finger to stop them and their families from being lined up against the wall and shot.
Their crime: Stupidity in the 1st degree.
Their families crime:We don’t want this kind of mental defect to spread.

My thoughts exactly. Now it feels like they were just getting warmed up. I shudder to think what they are going to pull in 2012.

Kataklysmic on January 12, 2011 at 5:38 PM

I think this rush to condemn, this anger, hatred, and absolute separation from reality all stems from November and liberals deep-seated fear that their progressive dream is rapidly slipping away.

It’s a collective meltdown. All of them – the sheriff, liberal bloggers, the MSM, even the lady who grabbed the clip then blamed the Republicans for the clip being in the hands of a madman (and then talked about how they were going to ruin the healthcare bill no less! who in their right mind would talk about politics right after grabbing ammo away from a madman!) – they are all hysterically angry – but not at the crazy shooter – with conservatives because they are loosing the great “conservative vs. liberal” argument and they know it. They are desperate.

When you’re this irrational, pent up with fear, with anger, when you’re this disillusioned and depressed, you reach for any rope, no matter how frail or brittle, to try and drag yourself back the banks of “Yes we can”.

Trouble is (and only a few of them have seen this and have begun to speak up) this desperate attempt to blame their political enemies for the acts of a madman has backfired.

Because of their despicable actions, more and more Americans have come to see how morally bankrupt liberalism and its adherents truly are.

yeah I’m calling you out as a hater and insane person trying to blame the mass murder on gov Palin and conservatives is nothing short of the nazi’s placing the blmae on jews for everything bad that happens.

If you don’t like it change parties. the democratic party has become a national socialist movement wrapped in the occult pushing for the death of the unborn, the old and the infirm. And is on a national crusdae to wipe out God from the public square. Their insantity and hate has been loosed on this nation and they have fibnally resorted to blood libel when all else has failed them.

Liberals use Voodoo logic. That’s the best description of how they think. Everything and anything that the Right does, even if it’s not heard or seen by a particular individual, will profoundly affect him or her. A simple non-sequitur is a known logical fallacy, but Voodoo logic is a very special kind of messed up logic. Only the Left could come up with it.

The Left has learned nothing over the past several days. I especially like Palin’s message. She put the ball in their court. They could tone it down. Instead, by her not apologizing, the Left went nuts and even now are furhter escalating the rhetoric. The hypocrisy of the Left has been demonstrated to the world and Palin yet again has played them.

Let’s be honest: Sarah Palin LOVES the attention. The broohaha over whether she was tacitcly responsible for the shooting had quieted, and this was a way for her to insert herself back into the controversy.

what the liberal left/media is doing today is the same as what the Nazi’s did to the jews.

Is that why she used the phrase “blood libel”? Because she’s the metaphorical equivalent of a Jew in Nazi Germany? Nice. Either that or she’s too dumb to know what it really means. Stick to shooting animals Sarah. We know you abhor violence.

Grow Fins on January 12, 2011 at 6:26 PM

You may not want to try your hand at metaphors again. I don’t think you have the frontal lobes to handle them.

I think many of her supporters want this story to be mainly about her and how badly she’s been smeared.

He’s assuming something.

the_nile on January 12, 2011 at 6:13 PM

Absolutely.

The rest of what AP wrote is on target, and very good. The real story here has been the deranged way in which multiple media figures took a story about a tragedy and tried to lay it at the feet of Sara Palin. If Palin had not existed, they would have tried to blame someone else. So it’s accurate enough to say that Palin is not the real story here, but the big — and hypocritical — smear attempt.

But then AP says that “her supporters want it to be about Palin.” It wasn’t Palin’s supporters who dragged her into it. In fact, that statement makes no more sense than CBS saying, “Palin has found a way to make it a story about her.” AP sees the problem with attacking Palin for defending herself, but then blames Palin supporters for making the story about her, when the blame clearly lies on the people doing the smearing.

Let’s be honest. You’re a leftard cockroach who came scurrying over from a lefty hate site sewer such as Kostard-land or Huffing glue to make an inane, vapid, brainless comment that would get lost among the countless fecal matter brain droppings over there.

The ObaMaobots are taking umbrage over the term “blood libel”? The must have gotten their marching orders from Media Mutters, Think Progress, Journolist, the Kos Kids, or some of those other sewer-rat muckrakers.